Westchester Broadway Theatre Presents

“The Million Dollar Quartet,” July 21 to September 11, 2016.

Dominique Scott as Jerry Lee Lewis,  Ari Mckay Wilford as Elvis Presley, and Bligh Voth as Dyanne
Dominique Scott as Jerry Lee Lewis, Ari Mckay Wilford as Elvis Presley, and Bligh Voth as Dyanne

The international smash hit musical, “The Million Dollar Quarter” is set on December 4, 1956, when an auspicious twist of fate brought Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley together. Sam Phillips, the โ€œFather of Rock โ€˜nโ€™ Roll,โ€ who was responsible for launching the careers of each icon, brought the four legendary musicians together at the Sun Records studio in Memphis for the first and only time. The resulting evening became known as one of the greatest rock โ€˜nโ€™ roll jam sessions in history.

The jam session consisted largely of snippets of gospel songs that the four artists had all grown up singing. The recordings show Elvis, the most nationally and internationally famous of the four at the time, to be the focal point of what was a casual, spur-of-the-moment gathering of four artists who would each go on to contribute greatly to the seismic shift in popular music in the late 1950s.

During the session, Phillips called a local newspaper, the Memphis Press-Scimitar. The newspaperโ€™s entertainment editor, came over to the studios with a photographer. The article about the session, appeared the following day in the Press-Scimitar under the headline “Million Dollar Quartet.”

Ari Mckay Wilford as Elvis Presley
Ari Mckay Wilford as Elvis Presley

The jukebox Musical Million Dollar Quartet,” written by Floyd Mutrux and Colin Escott, dramatizes the impromptu recording session which is considered a seminal moment in rock and roll history.
It brings that legendary night to life with an irresistible tale of broken promises, secrets, betrayal and celebrations featuring an eclectic score of rock, gospel, R&B and country hits including; โ€œBlue Suede Shoes,โ€ โ€œFever,โ€ โ€œSixteen Tons,โ€ โ€œWho Do You Love?,โ€ โ€œGreat Balls of Fire,โ€ โ€œMatchbox,โ€ โ€œFolsom Prison Blues,โ€ โ€œWhole Lotta Shakinโ€™ Goinโ€™ On,โ€ โ€œHound Dog,โ€ and more.

The Broadway production premiered at the Nederlander Theatre on April 11, 2010, with a cast featuring Eddie Clendening as Elvis Presley, Lance Guest as Johnny Cash, Levi Kreis as Jerry Lee Lewis, Robert Britton Lyons as Carl Perkins and Hunter Foster as Sam Phillips. The musical transferred to New World Stages in July 2011. The production closed on June 24, 2012. A US national tour and International productions followed.

The musical was nominated for three 2010 Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical. Levi Kreis won the award for Best Featured Actor for his portrayal of Jerry Lee Lewis.

WBT’s production is directed By Broadway favorite, Hunter Foster, who appeared in the original production. Jennifer Cody is the associate director and choreographer, David Sonneborn, a veteran of the national tour, is the musical director.

The production stars: John Michael Presney as Carl Perkins, Dominique Scott as Jerry Lee Lewis, Sky Seals as Johnny Cash, Ari Mckay Wilford as Elvis Presley, Jason Loughlin as Sam Phillips, David Sonneborn as Fluke, Bligh Voth as Dyanne, Sam Weber as Jay Perkins, and Jason Cohen is the Standby.

Reservations: Call 914-592-2222. Also at: www.BroadwayTheatre.com.

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